From Poes Garden to 11,000 sarees: Bengaluru court orders transfer of Jayalalithaa’s properties to Tamil Nadu govt

A special CBI court in Bengaluru on Wednesday ordered the transfer of assets of the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, which were seized in the 2004 disproportionate assets case, to the Tamil Nadu government.

The assets worth several hundred crores of rupees include Poes Garden residence located in Chennai, bank deposits, 700 kg of silver ornaments, jewellery made of gold, diamond, pearl and other precious stones, more than 11,000 sarees, 44 air conditioners, 750 decorated chappals and several others.

Judge H A Mohan of 36th Additional City Civil Sessions court directed the handover be completed by February 14 or 15.

The decision followed a Karnataka High Court ruling on January 13, dismissing an appeal by Jayalalithaa’s nephew and niece, J Deepak and J Deepa respectively, seeking the release of the seized properties. Their initial plea was rejected by the CBI court in July 2023, with Judge Mohan citing the assets’ “illegal” acquisition.